pet connection

Mark your calendar for Wednesday August 24th so you can watch the HBO documentary, “Madonna of the Mills.” I was able to preview the film and liked what I saw. The movie documents the passion of Laura Amato (the Madonna) on her forays into Lancaster, Penn. Her sole purpose for traveling into the heart of Amish country is the rescue of puppy mill dogs, specifically those who are “used up” (no longer capable of breeding) and slated to be destroyed.

Laura is an intriguing main character. Her composure remains completely passive as she interacts with puppy mill breeders. She is therefore allowed access into the kennels and, on occasion the camera is allowed to follow. When this happens, what we see is predictably gruesome. One wonders how Laura can remain so emotionally detached while in the midst of such inhumanity. Clearly, she understands that such passivity is required if she is to accomplish the task at hand, namely the rescue of innocent victims, one at a time. The movie credits state that Laura has rescued more than two thousand dogs.

For those who are familiar with puppy mills, there’s really nothing new revealed here. The kennel conditions are beyond horrific, the dogs are physically and psychologically traumatized beings, it is clear that legislation is needed to make things better, and there are some happy endings thanks to generous, kind-hearted, patient people.

One could argue that, through her actions, the Madonna is enabling puppy mills to thrive. I wasn’t clear to me if Laura actually purchases the dogs she rescues. What was clear was that that none of her actions would deter the puppy mill trade. Laura is clearly a prisoner of her passion. One senses she would give up anything and everything in her life before surrendering her rescue missions. In a brief moment of emotional vulnerability she talks about the enormity of the puppy mill situation while seemingly trying to convince herself that by rescuing one dog at a time, she is making a difference.

Whether or not you agree with what Laura is doing, the beauty of this documentary is that it will educate the public about puppy mills. Someone contemplating purchasing a pup from a pet store just might be dissuaded from doing so after watching this movie. By the way, I wish the movie had more strongly emphasized that pups purchased on line (site and sight unseen) are also likely to be puppy mill progeny. Nonetheless, kudos to those responsible for making this documentary. Have a look and tell me what you think. By the way, you may want to have a box of Kleenex close at hand, and perhaps something to soothe your nerves while viewing the graphic scenes.

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Good morning, and happy Monday! (That was sarcasm.) This is Christie Keith, covering the weekly news round-up for David S. Greene, who is in a bunker at an undisclosed location this week.

Is your dog’s processed pet food exposing him to dangerous toxins? Scientists at Indiana University have discovered chemicals used as flame retardants are present in the blood of pet dogs at levels 5 to 10 times higher than those found in humans (although st ill lower than those found in cats in an earlier study). From Science Daily (h/t to CathyA):

Venier and Hites report on an analysis of flame retardants in blood from 17 pet dogs, all of whom live primarily indoors. They also examined samples of the dry dog food that made up the pets’ diet, attempting to determine if food was a major source of PBDE exposure.The average concentration of PBDEs in blood from the dogs was about 2 nanograms per gram, about five to 10 times higher than the levels found in humans in the few studies of human exposure that have been done in North America.

In dog food samples, the researchers found PBDEs at levels averaging about 1 nanogram per gram. That is much higher than levels found in meat and poultry sold as food for humans, suggesting the PBDEs in dog food may result from processing rather than from the food sources.

Wow, let’s just totally miss the point. A ban on shopping for puppies while drunk? How about a ban on treating dogs like shoes, instead?

Doogie Howser, DVM? A new 6-year undergrad/vet school program will be launching at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee next year. Which means, as the American Veterinary Medical Association‘s SmartBrief newsletter comments, your pet may be treated by a veterinarian only six years out of high school.

The Great Corgi Caper. David sent me dire warnings of what he’d do to me if I didn’t use this video of a Corgi aiding and abetting his sister to… well, you’ll see.

David always likes to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories. Give him a shout in the comments, or better yet, send him an e-mail.

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It’s not often I can group together multiple instances of hopeful developments in the world of public policy, so today’s update is a good one.

Cleveland rocks: Brent Toellner at KC Dog Blog reports the best piece of news. After a dozen years on the books, breed-specific dog laws are being repealed in Cleveland. From now on, the decision on how to handle a dog will be based solely on prior behavior.

Owners of dogs at each level have different requirements to meet – -and if they do meet the requirements, they can get the designations lifted over time. You can get a lot of details on the ordinance here.

More and more cities are continuing to look at ordinances like the one in Cleveland because it allows the city to more efficiently use resources by targeted dogs (and dog owners) who have shown signs of being a threat to citizens and not focusing any resources on people whose dogs are not a threat.

Even better, the state of Ohio is considering following suit. It’s almost enough to make me do that arms in the air thing they’re so fond of. Almost.

Two rulings from the bench: Separate decisions were handed down that should put smiles on the faces of pet lovers across the country. Both are discussed in this SFGate article. In the first, an IRS decision that effectively penalized a feral cat rescue organization for their work was overruled. The second one went to the heart of the age-old legal axion that pets are nothing more than property. The California Supreme Court ruled for the first time that…

the owner of an animal victim of intentional cruelty may now sue the perpetrator for the costs of medical care and treatment of that animal. Historically, even someone found guilty of a felony animal abuse who ends up serving jail time will only be responsible to the animal’s owner for the cost of “replacing” that animal; back to that earlier point of animals as “property,” the concept is replacement of that property’s “market value.” Now, that has changed.

The first case is good, but the California decision could have much wider significance in the long term. Thanks to Susan Fox for the link.

Puppy millers lose huge in Los Angeles: One more sign of the times… puppy milling scum are no longer welcome to do business in the City of Angels. Details in the Examiner.

Who knows what’s really going on here? I had a conversation with Susan Fox after she forwarded this link from Yahoo News. While there’s definitely something bad going on in the area north of Spokane, Wash., it’s such a poorly reported story that frankly, I haven’t a clue what the truth of the matter is. Are there wolf-hybrids wreaking havoc? Perhaps. Certainly something is. Do we know much more than that? Honestly, no. I have a little more faith in KXLY‘s reporting, but not too much.

Heat is no joke: Every year the warnings go out about the lethal nature of overheated cars in the summer, and every year someone else finds out (tragically) how serious it is. The headline from the San Antonio Express-News says it all. There is ‘No such thing as a five-minute errand’ in heat.

Video of the week: The New England Aquarium in Boston is more than just a fun place to spend an afternoon. The aquarium staff also performs critical rescues, and is able to take advantage of the region’s health care technology. In this Boston Globe video, a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle undergoes a CT scan. Great stuff.

Social media at work: Comedian Dane Cook lost his dog, and asked his Twitter followers to help out. The story had a happy ending, and when it was over, Dane took to Twitter to let his followers know all was well and to thank them. A high five to TMZ for the following line:

When you only get 140 characters, 13 exclamation points in a tweet means you’re REALLY happy.

Also, four instances of the word “so” has gotta count for a lot.

RIP The Cat Who: Lillian Jackson Braun Bettinger, the author of 29 best-selling “The Cat Who” novels, has passed away in South Carolina at the age of 97. The Washington Post had a kind remembrance with a quote from the late Ms. Bettinger.

Discussing the sleuthing abilities of her cat KoKo, Mrs. Bettinger once commented, “Of course when you’re writing about a cat solving mysteries, you can’t be entirely serious. He doesn’t speak English or leap tall buildings. But there are things he does that draw attention to clues that help solve the mystery.”

Pedicure time: Because you can never have enough icanhascheezburger, and definitely never enough lolcats. See you next week.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories.  Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.
Photo credit: O-H-I-O, humorsoffice.com. Dane Cook tweet, TMZ.

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Undercover photographic evidence has been used countless times to expose things like public corruption and police brutality. However, did you know that secret video proof of animal abuse can land you in jail? In Iowa, Florida and Minnesota, legislation is working its way through state houses to outlaw what has always been a common tool for animal advocates. From the New York Times:

A bill before the Iowa legislature would make it a crime to produce, distribute or possess photos and video taken without permission at an agricultural facility. It would also criminalize lying on an application to work at an agriculture facility “with an intent to commit an act not authorized by the owner.”

While the laws are meant to keep animal activists from revealing some farming practices (like shocking treatment of dairy cattle exposed in recent years), the proposals will also help keep puppy-mills behind the curtain of secrecy. They  could even protect poorly run shelters from being exposed (cough cough, Memphis, cough cough), argues the website care2.com:

The legislation proposed in Minnesota attempts to crack down on activists who have exposed repeated animal welfare violations. Among its provisions, the bill targets anyone who documents an “image or sound” of animal suffering in a sweeping list of “animal facilities,” including factory farms, animal experimentation labs, and puppy mills.

According to Will Potter, author of “Green Is the New Red: An Insider’s Account of a Social Movement Under Siege,” Minnesota’s House File No. 1369 goes even further.

The bill, introduced by six Republicans, also includes a number of other provisions that have popped up in “eco-terrorism” bills and “animal enterprise terrorism” laws over the years. Similar legislation has also been introduced in Florida and Iowa to target undercover investigators.

The Minnesota bill includes a number of dangerous parts. Among the most important:

1. “Animal facility interference.” This provision targets those who, without the owner’s consent, “produce a record which reproduces an image or sound occurring at the animal facility.” Even worse, it targets those who “possess or distribute a record which produces an image or sound occurring at the animal facility.”

Translated: Taking pictures and videos is illegal, but so is uploading them to YouTube for public consumption. Anyone else have a problem with this?

Community supported agriculture for pets! I have friends from Maine to California who participate in community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs. Perhaps you do it in your area. But here’s a new wrinkle: CSA for dog food. Kim Thornton sent me this link from the Village Voice, about Jake Dickson of Dickson’s Farmstand Meats in New York.

The new “dog-food program,” Dickson explains, “allows us to close the loop completely so we’re nearing zero waste.” The parts that he doesn’t have much use for, such as the 80 pounds of beef liver he receives each week, make ideal canine sustenance. But rather than just package and sell them as is, Dickson partnered with Stacy Alldredge, a dog trainer and canine nutritionist who, Dickson says, “is a big advocate of cooking real food for pets.”

Great idea. Use naturally-grown agricultural products that would otherwise go to waste, give dogs fresh, nutritious meals, and support local farms. Everybody wins. To see how this concept works already, check out the SFRaw co-operative, to which Christie and Gina both proudly belong.  It’s a little different in operation, but the local, sustainable and humane ethic is the same.

“I’m not asking you. You’re not nice.” Dogs beg people for food. Not exactly a news flash, is it? Here’s the kicker: it seems dogs know who to ask, by paying close attention to how people interact with each other. This article from The New Scientist article on the finding is frankly scaring me. (thanks, Patti S.)

Luxury in Boston for all: The Boston Globe spotlights the trend we’re developing here in the Boston area for creating –  and supporting –  ultra-luxurious vacation spots for pets. As a Red Sox fan, I found this next snippet irresistible.

At Fenway Bark, the best room in the house, the 72-square-foot Owner’s Box, costs $150 per night. True, that’s almost as much as the $155 average daily rate for human hotels in the Greater Boston area, according to the Massachusetts Lodging Association, but it does come with unlimited dog-owner Skype sessions, bottled water upon request, and custom-made beds with 6-inch orthopedic foam.

The Skype was a perk that Tara Philbin of South Boston could not resist. Before heading off to her bachelorette party in New Orleans Saturday, Philbin downloaded the Skype app so she could chat with her boxers Declan and Kiera.

I particularly like Fenway Bark‘s website. Check it out, unless you’re a Yankees fan, in which case you should just move on to the next paragraph.

Highlights from around the Pet Connection Blogosphere. Recent posts I particularly like from our distinguished blogroll:

A shout out to Ingrid: Our own Ingrid King‘s personal blog The Conscious Cat has a post I particularly like. This one is about World’s Best Cat Litter and how they’re supporting shelter causes in Texas.

Woo Woo! Photo essay posts from Three Woofs and a Woo always make me smile.

Happy Tax Day: Love this cartoon from SmartDogs.

Finally, speshal nom from icanhascheezburger.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories.  Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.

Photo credit: Memphis Animal Shelter video snapshot courtesy of YesBiscuit.wordpress.com.

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If only I were a fiction writer and the details within this blog post were a product of my imagination. Unfortunately dog auctions are a painful and despicable fact of life.

In case you are unfamiliar with dog auctions, let me fill you in. Envision rooms filled floor to ceiling with crates and cages each housing dogs whose sole purpose in life is to make puppies.

Every dog in the room is identified by the number on the auction tag hanging round his or her neck. There are purebreds of multiple varieties, although some might not be recognizable as such given their lack of health care and horrifically overgrown hair coats.

And, of course, there are plenty of “designer hybrids,” the mutts that are purposefully planned because they are “all the rage” and their litters will earn big bucks for some lucky puppy miller.

Some of the rooms filled with dogs are eerily quiet; these are animals with broken spirits, too scared to vocally protest and too disassociated from their miserable existences to invite attention from the humans peering into their cages.

Six auctions are held every year in Farmerstown, Ohio. In fact, the next one, of 351 dogs, is on April 2.

If you happen to live near Farmerstown, I encourage you to attend. You will be surrounded by puppy millers and their ilk who have come to socialize, discuss their trade, and buy and sell “livestock.” You will also find folks from breed rescue organizations hoping to place some winning bids that will alter the dismal fate of as many dogs as is affordable.

Don’t take a camera with you; it will be confiscated. You see, these are rather covert affairs; journalists and photographers are not allowed. The photographic images accompanying this post were obtained undercover.

On average, 300 to 500 dogs trade hands on any given auction day. The dogs who fetch the highest prices are those with proven fertility records; bitches already pregnant are highly valued. Details about each dog’s breeding behavior and previous litter sizes are provided, but information about basic temperament or breed-specific inherited diseases within the family tree is unavailable because it is deemed unimportant. After all, naive puppy buyers don’t request such information.

If you attend the auction in Farmerstown, be sure to look for Mary O’Connor-Shaver. You will find her at the peaceful protest that is a visible presence on each and every auction day. In my mind Mary is a hero, working tirelessly to convince Ohio legislators to ban dog auctions from her state. I hope you will visit her website. Mary has been a huge source of information and inspiration for me.

What can you do to help eradicate dog auctions and put an end to puppy mills? Here are some suggestions:

1.Educate your friends and family to boycott puppy mills and stores that sell puppies. Let them know that this means never ever purchasing a puppy from a pet store or from an on line source (site and sight unseen). Encourage them to visit their local shelter and contact local breed-specific rescue organizations, or to purchase a puppy from a responsible breeder.

2. If you live in a state that sanctions dog auctions (Ohio, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri), write your legislators and appeal to them to stop this madness. And if there are efforts within your state to create legislation banning dog auctions, please pitch in. This might involve organizing rallies, writing letters, and gathering signatures of support.

3. If you don’t reside in a state that sanctions dog auctions, write letters to the governors and legislators of the eight states that do. Let them know you will no longer support their state in terms of travel and commerce until their dog auctions cease to exist.

4. Let your veterinarian know how you feel about dog auctions and puppy mills, and encourage him or her to take a public stance against them. Goodness knows, we see first hand the horrific health issues and accompanying heartbreak produced by puppy mills.

5. If you are a teacher, educate your students about puppy mills and dog auctions. Teach them about responsible ways to acquire a dog. I believe in my heart of hearts that educating children about these issues is the key to success.

6. Please share this post with anyone and everyone you know who loves a dog, and encourage them to take action.

My youngest child attends college in Athens, Ohio. During a recent visit we checked out Petland, the largest pet store in Athens. We found no fewer than three dozen utterly adorable purebred and designer hybrid puppies, undoubtedly puppy mill progeny.

There were plenty of customers in the store that day interacting with the pups and contemplating buying one. I chatted with the store manager about the Boxer pup on display, and asked to see the paperwork documenting if Boxer cardiomyopathy existed in the pup’s lineage. Boxer cardiomyopathy is an inherited heart condition that can prematurely snuff out the life of an afflicted dog.

She responded by saying, “No, we don’t have that paperwork, but no problem because Petland guarantees full refunds on any dogs that develop symptoms caused by an inherited disease.” No problem for Petland, that is. It’s a different story for the dog, or the people who love him.

What are you willing to do to help stop this madness?

Photos taken by an undercover photographer who has asked to be unnamed to preserve his or her ability to continue to do this work. Used with permission.

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